IMC Chapter 48

After a long while, the warhorse finally stopped, satisfied, and lowered its head to nuzzle up to Shu Bao.

Confused, Shu Bao instinctively extended a paw to push against the warhorse’s enthusiastic head. Feeling the gentle touch of Shu Bao’s paw, the warhorse responded happily.

Then…

Shu Bao was knocked to the ground by the warhorse’s breath, rolling several times.

The warhorse trotted after him, lowering its head to nuzzle again.

Shu Bao: “…” This horse not only loves to dig out moles but also has the soul of a big, goofy dog.

Looking up at the expressionless necromancer general and then at the eagerly waiting warhorse, Shu Bao finally extended a paw and patted it, saying, “Good boy.”

This time, the warhorse’s breathing was noticeably gentler, further proving that it had the ability to think. However, it completely ignored the obviously abnormal necromancer general’s words.

Shu Bao began to understand why so many domain hunters had failed over the years. They had misunderstood the true master of the domain. The creator of this domain was not the necromancer general but the warhorse of the general!

Humans tend to instinctively focus more on their own kind, especially those who are undead and valuable. But Shu Bao was different. The first lord-level entity he encountered was a white cat, and he was not human himself. Moreover, when Shu Bao first dug into the necromancer army’s camp, he came face-to-face with the warhorse, which happened to show interest in him.

It was through these coincidences that Shu Bao realized the warhorse’s extraordinary nature.

Those domain hunters, no matter how powerful, who poured all their attacks into the necromancer general, only made the general stronger upon revival. To the warhorse Feng Shou, his master could not die, would not die, and would become stronger with each battle, undefeatable, able to clear all enemies from the world.

Thus, day after day, the necromancer general grew stronger and stronger, making it increasingly difficult to defeat him by sheer force alone. The more attention people paid to the necromancer general, the harder it became to crack the domain.

It was rumored that this necromancer army appeared randomly every so often, and they had existed for at least several decades or even a hundred years. Looking around the camp, everyone and everything except Feng Shou remained rigid and unmoving.

Feng Shou had survived all this time relying on the two phrases its master used to say most often, stubbornly creating this domain—one that it once thought was the happiest and most blissful past.

Shu Bao sighed deeply as he patted Feng Shou’s nose.

“That horse is the true master of the domain!”

“Kill it! The domain will break!”

“That horse is the real lord!”

Suddenly, amidst the dim light, cries of realization rang out, and numerous figures hidden in the shadows rushed forward.

Shu Bao turned in surprise and saw the field hunters, including both the unwillingly defeated who had returned and the strategists who had previously tried to use dream-inducing potions.

They had used some form of concealment technique to hide their presence and infiltrated the necromancer army’s camp. Drawn by Shu Bao and Feng Shou’s interaction, they had carefully observed and thus discovered the peculiarities involved.

Combining this with past rumors, they finally realized they had been targeting the wrong enemy all along! No wonder no one had succeeded in breaking this domain before!

Now that they had identified the true master of the domain, their excitement was palpable. They were determined not to fall behind. They leaped forward, aiming to attack the horse. The horse seemed alive, which was certainly easier to deal with than the undead necromancer general.

Before the hunters reached the horse, their attacks had already been launched.

Fireballs, poison mists, lightning bolts, and light beams…

Balls of blue-green magical light exploded, illuminating the necromancer camp. The attacks from the light mages were the only ones emitting a dazzling white light and were also the most lethal. Wherever the light reached, the necromancer soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

However, as long as Feng Shou survived, the necromancer army would soon revive. Feng Shou clamped onto Shu Bao and swiftly departed, evading the bothersome poison mist.

Yet, some of the persistent attacks still struck Feng Shou.

Feng Shou made no sound, but Shu Bao smelled the odor of scorched flesh. Once in a safe area, Shu Bao was set down. Feng Shou quickly turned and raced back to the battlefield.

Just like countless nights of battle in the past, the general wielded his spear, toppling everything in his path.

With its speed advantage, Feng Shou skillfully dodged the magical attacks and weapons, charging through the battlefield without a trace of fear, just like its master—brave and fearless.

Even as a treasure-seeking mouse, Shu Bao had to admire Feng Shou’s speed. Yet, despite the speed advantage, some large-area damage was unavoidable. Feng Shou, lacking the power of a true ruler, struggled against the full strength of the light mages’ suppression.

Even though Feng Shou had gained a long life through mutation, it couldn’t single-handedly defeat a hundred enemies, especially not experienced domain hunters.

After observing the battlefield for a while, Shu Bao noticed the necromancer army was in decline. The enemy was well-prepared, having brought in three light mages who continuously used light magic to suppress the necromancer general. Although the general grew stronger with each resurrection, the enemy cleverly only restricted the general’s movements without killing him.

Additionally, the enemy had prepared a large number of strange potions, which, when released, created a dense fog. The necromancer army, trapped in the fog, lost their sense of direction and became confined within it, diminishing Feng Shou’s numerical advantage.

With so many tactics employed, it was clear the enemy was determined to resolve this difficult situation today.

Shu Bao paced anxiously. As a mouse, he couldn’t alter the course of the battle. However, if he transformed into a human, he risked being recognized as the one who had stolen the dragon egg, which would lead to further chaos and potentially prevent his escape. Worse, they were too close to the Xia Wang Tribe. Causing trouble for the Xia Wang tribe would be counterproductive.

Ultimately, Shu Bao felt he couldn’t remain passive. Although he didn’t agree with the enemy’s methods, Feng Shou had helped him when he was suddenly attacked. Despite the fact that Shu Bao could have escaped on his own, Feng Shou’s assistance was significant.

Thus, the furry little ball of fluff stomped and charged into the battlefield, skillfully dodging various attacks and making its way to Feng Shou.

Feng Shou did not reject Shu Bao’s approach and was even surprised by his actions. However, it eventually lowered its head, picked up Shu Bao, and placed him on its back.

A chilling cold emanated from behind, making Shu Bao’s fur bristle. Although his visibility and safety improved, he was now on the back of a necromancer general!

With the general’s weapon-wielding creating strong winds around him, Shu Bao tried to stay calm and shouted to Feng Shou, “Don’t linger in battle. Follow my instructions. I’ll take you to a safe place.”

Indeed, if the big white cat could follow him through the door from his room to the Xia Wang Tribe, then Feng Shou should be able to do the same.

At this moment, the domain-hunters seemed to have gone mad, showing no signs of easily giving up. The enemy was well-prepared, and a direct confrontation was not wise. However, they couldn’t just rush in; it was better to create a diversion. The necromancer army looked almost identical from a distance, so Shu Bao planned to have Feng Shou command the necromancers to retreat in different directions.

Upon receiving Shu Bao’s instructions, Feng Shou’s movements became even swifter, its body nearly becoming a blur. With a loud neigh, it gathered the necromancers who were not trapped by the smoke into one location.

“It must be a ruler’s skill! Everyone be careful!”

The unusual battlefield situation made the domain-hunters extremely cautious. They switched from an offensive to a defensive posture. After all, their available information did not include details about the warhorse’s ruler skill, so they were unsure of its power.

Once the necromancers gathered in one place, the blood-red light that had enveloped the domain began to concentrate and then attached itself to the necromancers. In an instant, all the necromancer soldiers, including the general with its hollow eyes, were covered in a blood-red hue.

Blood-red eyes opened in the darkness. At that moment, the soldiers seemed to regain both wisdom and life, exuding an impressive aura. At the same time, a rousing drumbeat echoed, though its source could not be found. The sound was like a blessing before the army’s departure and seemed to celebrate their victory in advance. The overall morale of the necromancer army surged again, evidently boosted by the drumbeat.

With a command from the general, the army moved forward like an unstoppable arrow, charging ahead!

Wherever the necromancer army passed, all defenses were rendered useless. Whether it was the high walls erected by earth mages or the ice shields created by ice mages, they shattered upon contact!

This was an unstoppable army, an assault that could not be defended against. This was the skill of a lord-level beast: indestructible. In this charge, there was no possibility of defense; all that could be done was to avoid it!

When this indestructible charge ended, the scene was already engulfed in dust. Strangely, not a single necromancer was visible anymore! Even those who had been trapped in the disorienting smoke had vanished without a trace!

After a long while, the domain hunters had to reluctantly admit that the warhorse had escaped! They had missed a perfect opportunity.

However, it was not a complete loss. At least they now understood the key to breaking the necromancer army’s domain. When the army appeared next time, they would surely break through it.

After some time, the frustrated hunters eventually dispersed after searching in vain. This necromancer army was already known for its elusive nature, and they thought it was simply the warhorse’s escape skill. They began to consider methods to counter it.

Once the people had left, a figure suddenly appeared from the darkness. As the cloak turned into wings, it lost its invisibility, revealing a large drum in front of him. Clearly, this was the source of the earlier drumbeat.

The drummer, of course, was Fu Qing. He had heard about the significant animal migration and had come to join the excitement.

After stowing the drum into his system bracelet, Fu Qing flapped his wings and ascended, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

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